Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ:CENX) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.00.

CENX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Century Aluminum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. B. Riley Financial increased their price target on Century Aluminum from $64.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Century Aluminum from $61.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Century Aluminum in a report on Wednesday, January 21st.

Century Aluminum Stock Up 10.2%

Century Aluminum stock opened at $58.69 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 146.73 and a beta of 2.17. Century Aluminum has a 12-month low of $13.05 and a 12-month high of $60.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $51.21 and its 200 day moving average is $39.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25. Century Aluminum had a net margin of 1.65% and a return on equity of 5.57%. The business had revenue of $633.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $661.63 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Century Aluminum will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Century Aluminum

In other Century Aluminum news, CEO Jesse E. Gary sold 150,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.47, for a total transaction of $8,320,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 142,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,908,912.60. This represents a 51.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matt Aboud sold 2,971 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.67, for a total transaction of $156,482.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 64,843 shares in the company, valued at $3,415,280.81. This trade represents a 4.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 401,626 shares of company stock worth $20,847,911. 0.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Century Aluminum

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in Century Aluminum in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in Century Aluminum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Century Aluminum by 253.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Century Aluminum in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.59% of the company’s stock.

About Century Aluminum

Century Aluminum Company is a primary aluminum producer that develops and operates smelters designed to supply low-carbon, high-purity aluminum products to a range of industrial and commercial markets. Established in 1995, the company has grown to become a significant North American aluminum producer with an expanding international footprint. Century Aluminum is headquartered in the United States and is focused on energy-efficient operations and cost management.

The company’s core operations include three primary aluminum smelting facilities located in Hawesville, Kentucky; Mount Holly, South Carolina; and Grundartangi, Iceland.